Method of reforming rail ends



Aug. 29, 1933. c. A. DALEY METHOD OF REFORMING RAIL ENDS Filed Nov. 12, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR A TTORNEY Aug. 29, 1933. c. A. DALEY 1,924,838

I METHOD OF REFORMING RAIL ENDS Filed Nov. 12, 1931 -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTOR/YEY Patented Aug. 29, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF REFORMING RAIL ENDS Application November 12, 1931 Serial N0. 574,554

8 Claims.

and sides, the terminal flow being particularly.

troublesome because it tends to close any expansion space desired between the rails and because the lips, working against each other, break and chip away the tread.

It has now long been common to build up battered rail ends by fusing onto the worn surface metal from a welding rod or electrode, this being accomplished either with the oxyacetylene flame or by the electric arc.

The method described and claimed herein, which has been put into successful practice, resulted from a conclusion which I had reached, which is that the so-called batter, while due to some extent to hammer, is largely the result of cold-flow of the metal. However that may be, I have demonstrated that the battered ends of rails, while in place in the track, can be brought up to level and be restored to original form, with or without the addition of foreign metal, by effecting a re-distribution of the metal in the affected parts of the balls themselves. This is accomplished in the manner and by the steps which will be described.

In the accompanying drawings; which are purely illustrative:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the adjoining portions of two rails of a track, illustrating the application of heat to the middle longitudinal portion of the batter of one of the rail ends, the arrows indicating the application of force to the sides of the ball;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in end elevation (the splice bars being in sections), showing schematically the original central zone of heating and squeezing up of the metal, and indicating that this is carried outward to the edges by heating farther from the center while continuing to exert force against the sides; v

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing a tool driven in between the opposed faces of the'balls and the heated ball brought up or slightly above level; and

Fig. 4 is an end elevation illustrating a smoothing step.

5 The drawings show portions of two rails 2 and 3 joined by splice bars 4. Fig. 1 illustrates regions of batter 5 extending from the extreme ends of the balls for some distances along the tread. One

of the rail ends is reformed and then the other. The drawings illustrate steps of the process being performed on the ball of the rail-end 2.

The best mode of carrying out my invention is as follows:

First the middle portion of the ball is heated from the top by means of an oxyacetylene torch 6 or other agency of sufiicient heating power. This heating is continued until the forging heat penetrates well down into the ball, as indicated by the shaded area 7 in Fig. 2. The torch is moved about so that the metal is heated as far back as the batter extends and so that theheating is maximum at the extreme end and diminishes toward the approximate place where batter ceases, beyond which the rail is not to be treated.

While the torch flame is still playing on the central area 8, heavy force is exerted by blows or pressure against the side faces of the ball, so that the heated metal in the interior of the ball is caused to flow with consequent elevation of the surface, as indicated at 9 in Fig. 2. This can be accomplished by having a helper strike the sides of the ball with a sledge hammer 10. However, inward pressure or impact, represented schematically by arrows in Fig. 1, may be produced by any other suitable means, and may be applied to the side faces either alternately or simultaneously.

If a central longitudinal region is not heated first, or not heated more intensely than the lateral parts, blows or pressure would affect only the edge portions of the ball and would not raise the center. After the central area has been raised, the heating is worked out toward the edges while the attack on the sides of the ball is continued, the effect being to broaden the raised area, as suggested by the dotted lines 11 in Fig.

2, until the entire width of the tread surface is brought up approximately to the desired level with the tread in the balance of the rail.

The result thus accomplished may sufiice, in which event it would only remain to smooth oft the top and sides of the ball where it has been worked, preferably by heating the metal superficially and hammering against an interposed 10 tool such as illustrated at 12 in Fig. 4.

The tread may, however, still be somewhat low for some distance from the extreme end. As a further part of the process, the ball is again heated to depth and as far back as may be necessary, and a tapered blade 13 is driven down between the rail ends to the splice bars 4. This crowds the metal of the heated ball back and up as far back as the rail is properly heated. This operation is advantageous, in any event, to create a separation between the ends of the balls and to force back the elongation that resulted from cold flow under wheel action. Any end lip is also eliminated.

If the rail ends are very tight together, two or more tools 13 of increasing taper may be used.

The battered ball of the rail 2 is now restored, and after smoothing it on top and sides, the ball of the rail end 3 is heated and worked by the same steps that have been described, including again driving one or more of the taper blades 13 between the ends.

Finally, a tool such as 12 may be worked across the joint to bring the ends to precisely the same level.

The ends of the balls should be somewhat above level when hot, so as to allow for contraction.

With this process, rail ends can be restored quickly and at much less expense than by building them up with added metal. Naturally, however, if the batter should be very low, the reforming may be followed by a putting on of a certain thickness of metal, and in any event any flaws that may appear should be melted out and fillerrod applied and any chipping should be welded up as usual.

I claim:

1. Method of restoring the ends of rails in track to remove batter, which comprises heating the ball of one of the rails to a forging heat as far back as the batter extends, the heat being applied on top and first along the middle so as to cause the heating to extend a considerable distance down in the interior of the ball, bringing up the center of the batter by the application of force to the sides of the ball to drive the flow upward, working the heat out toward the sides and repeating the applications of transverse force so as to raise the metal of the battered part of the ball from the center out.

2. Method of restoring the ends of rails in track to remove batter, which comprises heating the ball of one of the rails to a forging heat as far back as the batter extends, the heat being applied on top and first along the middle so as to cause the heating to extend a considerable distance down in the interior of the ball, bringing up the center of the batter by the application of force to the sides of the ball to drive the flow upward, working the heat out toward the sides and repeating the applications of transverse force so as to raise the metal of the battered part of the ball from the center out, again applying heat to the ball for a distance back of its end, and exerting a wedging action between the ends of this ball and the ball of the adjacent rail.

3. Method of restoring the ends of rails in track to remove batter, which comprises heating the ball of one of the rails to a forging heat as far back as the batter extends, the heat being applied on top and first along the middle so as to cause the heating to extend a considerable distance down in the interior of the ball, bringing up the center of the batter by the application of force to the sides of the ball to drive the flow upward, working the heat out toward the sides and repeating the applications of transverse force so as to raise the metal of the battered part of the ball from the center out, again applying heat to the ball for a distance back of its end, exerting a wedging action between the ends of this ball and the ball of the adjacent rail, and performing the same steps on the battered ball of the other rail.

4. Method of restoring the ends of rails in track to remove batter, which comprises heating the ball of one of the rails to a forging heat as far back as the batter extends, the heat being applied on top and first along the middle so as to cause the heating to extend a considerable distance down in the interior of the ball, bring ing up the center of the batter by the application of force to the sides of the ball to drive the fiow upward, working the heat out toward the sides and repeating the applications of transverse force so as to raise the metal of the battered part of the ball from the center out, again applying heat to the ball for a distance back of its end, exerting a wedging action between the ends of this ball and the ball of the adjacent rail, and thereafter smoothing the top and sides of the ball.

5. The method of reforming rail ends in track, which comprises heating the ball of each rail end and applying forces transversely of the ball and also between the rail ends to bring their lowered treads approximately up to level.

6. The method of correcting batter in worn rail ends in track, which comprises applying heat to the top of the ball of each rail end, and applying inward force to the sides of the ball of each rail end to raise the Worn tread surface by upward flow of the heated metal.

7. The method of correcting batter in worn rail ends in track, which comprises applying heat to the top of the ball of each rail end, and applying inward force to the sides of the ball of each rail end, and also between the rail ends, to raise the worn tread surface by upward flow of the heated metal.

8. The method of correcting batter in worn rail ends in track, which comprises applying heat to the top of the ball of each rail end, applying force to raise the worn tread surface by upward flow of the heated metal, and finally adding metal to the tread surface. 

